Deep or bottom cleaner for filter beds



Oct. 15, 1940.

w. c. LAUGHLIN DEEP OR BOTTOM CLEANER *FOR FILTER BEDS Filed July 18,193;

FIG.4

FIGS

- nvvxslvmxz. WILLIAM c. LAUGHLIN LTTORN EY.

Patented Oct. 15, 1940.

' William C. Laughlin, NewYork, N. Y., assignor to W. C.Laughlin'Corporation; New York,'N.,Y.,

a corporation of New York I Application my 18, leaaseria m. 285,078 V 4Claims 7 (01; 210 128) This invention relates to deep or bottom cleanersfor filter beds having a screen with filter bed material thereon, andthe object of the invention is to provide an improved deep cleanerorbottom 5 cleaner so as to subject the lower part of the filter bed toan agitation resulting from the-injection into the filter bed of waterunder pressure, or water and air under pressure, to thereby lessen theimpurities and separate the impurities from the material forming thefilter bed.

The object is further to confine the'water. resulting from churning upthe entire-filter bed' to localized placeswhere the deep cleaneroperates, within certain confines so as to be able to readily 5 draw offthe water containing the impurities.

For this purpose, the-improved deep cleaner consists of a plow and ahorizontally disposed pipe with spaced openings therein arrangedparallel with the plow, the pipe being supplied with cleaning waterunder pressure with or without air, and the water, as it is projectedthrough the openings of said pipe and impinged either against the screenor. against the walls of the plow, causing the water of the filter bedto be a itated as well as to bring about the agitation of he materialcomposing the filter bed. Certain of the openings in thepipe aredirected upwardly, so

as to induce the water, with the entrained impurities, to move upwardlyand away from the pipe and the plow. In order to confine the watercontaining the impurities within a sphere of action of the deepcleaner-pipe and plow, a hood provided with sleds, which sleds rideupon'the 'top surface of the filter bed, is provided. Within the hooda'draw ofi pipe of the water with the'im- V purities within the hood, isprovided to thereby draw oil the waste water and discharge it away fromthe filter. 'In the preferred form, the plow is duplicated so as to haveone in advance of the distributing pipe, and one rearwardly thereof,depending upon the direction of movement of the pipe, and likewise thehood just describedis preferably duplicated so as to have one draw ofipipe within each hood.

Thestructure embodying the invention just set forth is simple inconstruction and in operation, and is very efficient in the'cleaning of'the filter bed material and separating itfrom the accumulatedimpurities. 7

As is known, a deep cleaner of this kind is used periodicallyin a filterbed, and while. it is disposedatransversely of the filter bed,- it ismoved longitudinally of the filter bed. a

As it is only necessary to clean the filter-bed itself at statedintervals, the deep cleaner embodying the invention just describedis-periodicai- 1y moved through the filter bed at, spaced intervals. i

The invention will be more fully. described hereinafter. embodimentsthereof will vbe shown finally pointed out in the'claims.

, In the accompanying drawing:

Figure in a vertical transverse section of a bottom of the filter'bedcleaner; g

' Figure 2 is a partial perspective view :thereof Figure 3 isa verticaltransverse section in the same direction as taken in Figure 1. butshowing the relationship of the part shown in Figure. 1

in the drawing, and the invention itself. willbe ito the other parts ofthe-bottom filter cleaner or deep cleaner;

Figure 4 is afront view of thecleaning'water distributing pipe; and rFigure 5 is a, diagrammatic-drawingof the cleaning pipe in relation tothe plow and in relation to the screen of thefilter bed.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe various views.

The pipe l8 shown in all the figures of the site openings [0 and alongthe vertical diameter of the pipe Hi. This pipe I8, is also providedwith two horizontal openings l2 and I3, closely "adjacent thelowervertical opening II.- The plows l4. and Ma have straightwallsl5-and 15a,

. facing the pipe and-spaced'therefrom. The water is'pumped into thesupply pipes 16 and Il, and is; f

thereby distributedhorizontall along the horizontal pipe .l8 and throughits vertical openings [IL-the cleaning water thereby forcing streams 20perpendicularly upwardly: Atthe same time, the I oppositely disposedopening ll causes the cleaningwater to be forced perpendicularlydownwardly and in the direction towards and against the Y filter screen22 at angles of impact deflected an- 7 gularly towards and through the.space between the exterior of the pipe l8.andlthe straight wallsl5and|5a.'. The cleaning water forced through the horizontal openings l2and I3 impinges against the straight walls l5 and l5a, and duetotheir-angularity is deflected-upwardly. The. combined action of thesestreams; projected by the openings Ni, ii, l2 and I3 brings aboutfirst-a churning action of the material of the'filter'bed close to I thescreen 22, mainly by virtue of the action of the downward streamprojected through the is carried along therewith, but mainly the dirtaway from the filter.

and impurities are moved upwardly at such inclined angles in the spacebetween the pipe l8 and the walls l and I50. This upwardly movingmaterial is again subjected to and impinged by the streams projectedthrough the horizontal openings l2 and I3, and these streams, strikingthe inclined surfaces l5 and Ho, are also deflected upwardly. Theupwardly directed stream of the opening I!) is mainly for the purpose ofgiving the general mass of water an upward movement so as to carrytherewith the dirt or impurities which have separated from .thefilterbed material due to the churning action described.

Due to the gravity action upon the. filter bed material, it graduallydescends, but in cleaned condition.

The pipes l6 and I! which are connected with the horizontal distributingpipe I8 are connected in turn at their upper ends with a pump which isnot shown, and this pumpforces c 1ean cleaning water into the pipes 16and I1 downwardly, so

' that the same is'distributed through the openings III, II, I! and [3of the pipe l8 as described. The

pipes I6 andll pass upwardly through a funnel portion of a hood 26 whichis formed by oppositelydisposed angle irons 21 and 28 to which a topplate 29 is secured as also a side plate 30. The lower end of the sideplate 30 has an angle iron 3| to which a bottom plate 32 is secured. Thebottom plate 32 has a curved portion inwardly thereof as indicated by33,and has an upwardly extending portion 34 with an exterior curvedsurface so that the bottom plate 32 with its curved surfaces 33 and 34acts in the nature of -a sled which rides upon the top surface layer 36of the filter bed 31 which rests upon the screen 22. The hood 26 justdescribed as'being on one side of the funnel 25 is reproducedincounterpart at the other side of the funnel 25. Equidistantly disposedfrom the walls of the hood-26, and within the same, are draw off oroutletpipes 38 and 39 having openings 38a and 39a at the lowermostsides. .1

The interiors of the hoods are filled entirely with water andimpurities, which impurities were separated from the material formingthe filter bed 31. The pipes 38 and 39 are connected with suction pumpsnot shown, which suck out this waste water with impurities and dischargeit The hoods 26 function to collect that part of the water of the filterwhich has the separated impurities therein, which impurities wereseparated by the action described in connection with Figure 5, and thiswastewater with such impurities is drawn off by means of the pump of thesuction pipes 38 and 39. 'The walls of the funnel 25 extendbeyond thelevel of the water of the filter. The hoods 26 have end walls, one ofwhich is indicated by 40, and these end walls are disposed about in linewith the longitudinal margins of the filter bed. It will be clear thatthe structure shown in Figure 3 with its hoods running transversely ofthe filter bed, extend from one marginal portion of the filter bed tothe othertransversely of the same, but

this filter bed cleaner moves longitudinally of the filter bed. As isknown, this movement is periodic. In the case of a top surface cleaner,the movement is continuously to and fro, whereas with'a deep surface orbottom cleaner, it is only necessary to subject the body of the filtermaterial to a cleaning from time to timer From the foregoing, it willhave been seen that the distributing pipe for the fresh or cleaningwater is provided with only a few openings which have a special andlimited function, namely, the two diametrically opposite disposedopenings for projecting water upwardly and downwardly, and the twohorizontal openings for cooperating with the inclined'surfaces of theplows H and a so as to'thoroughly clean any grainsof the filter bedmaterial of the impurities, and that the sphere of action of thiscleaning water distributing pipe is enclosed by the hoods in which thedraw off pipes are arranged.

The pipes 38 and 39 may be supported in any suitable way. In theembodiment, they pass through the walls 40 and 40a, and exterior ofthese walls the pipes 38 and 39 are connected with suitable other pipesleading to the suction pump not shown.

From the foregoing it will have been seen that the entire body of thefilter bed in contrast to the top. surface thereof, is subjected to athorough cleaning by the means described.

I have described an embodiment of my improved deep or bottom cleaner,but it is clear. that changes may be made within the principle of theinvention described, without d'eparting'from the scope of the subjoinedclaims.

I claim:

I 1. In adeep orbottom cleaner for filter beds having a screen andsuperimposed filter bed material thereon, a. horizontallydisposedcleaning water distributing pipe adapted tobemovedlongitudinally along the filter bed, said horizontally disposedpipe being adjacent the screenof the filter bed and having openingsalong the length of said pipe, and a bar parallel with said pipeandhaving a surface adjacent and facing said openings, said surface beinginclined upwardly and away from said pipe to receive jets from theopenings of said pipe and directthem upwardly, and having two surfacesconverging to, an apex directed away from said first angular surface.

2. In a deep or bottom cleaner forfilter beds having a screen andsuperimposed filter bed material thereon, a. horizontally disposedcleaning water distributing pipe adapted to be moved longitudinallyalong the filter bed, said horizontally disposed pipebeing adjacent thescreen of the filter bed and having openings along the length of saidpipe, a bar parallel with said pipe and having a surface adjacent andfacing said opening, said surface being inclined upwardly and away fromsaid pipeto receive jets from the openings of said pipe and direct themupwardly, and having two surfaces converging to an apex directed awayfrom said first angular surface, a hood above and enclosing said pipeand bar to gather fluid and its impurities and means for removing fromthe hood the therein enclosed; fluid with impurities and discharging thesame outside of the filter. Y

3. In a deep or bottom cleaner for filter beds having a screen andsuperimposed filter bed material thereon, a horizontally disposedcleaning water distributing pipe adapted to bem'oved longitudinallyalongthe filterbed while extending transversely of the filter bed, saidhorizontally disposed pipe being adjacent the screen of the filter bedand having two vertically disposed openings along the vertical diameterof said pipe and horizontally directed openings closely adjacent thelowermost vertically disposed openings, and a bar spaced away from thepipe and having an inclined surface adjacent and facing said horizontalopenings, said inclined surface receiving the water projected from saidhorizontally directed openings and directing the water upwardly,

said inclined surface being spaced from the exterior of the pipe toallow any impurities loosened or separated from the filter bed below thepipe to pass between the exterior of the pipe and the inclined surface,said bar having a second surface inclined to the firstsurface away fromsaid pipe and forming with the first surface an apex, said secondsurface acting to move filter mate:

.rial over the apex to be acted upon by the water side of the horizontalpipe and having a surface adjacent and facing said openings, saidsurface being inclined upwardly and away from said pipe.

and spaced therefrom to receive the water projected from saidhorizontally directed openings and direct same upwardly, each of saidplows having a pointed part opposed to said inclined surface formed oftwo annular surfaces, a hood disposed above the horizontal pipe tocollect the water containing the impurities'within the hood and exhaustpipes within the hood to remove the water within the hood havingimpuritiesther'e in and discharge said water with impurities exterior tothe hood, said hood having sled portions adapted to ride upon the topsurface of the filter bed.

WILLIAM C. LAUGHLIN.

the lowermost vertical openings, a plow for each

